JUNEAU, Alaska, Jan. 7, 2015—Results from a poll of Alaska small-business owners released today give a new Alaska Legislature, which convenes for business on January 20, some food for thought on at least four issues on the minds of mom-and-pop, Main Street enterprises.
Every year the National Federation of Independent Business, America’s largest and leading small-business association, polls its members on state and national issues vital to their ability to own, operate and grow their enterprises. Results from the poll center NFIB’s lobbying positions in Washington, D.C. and in Juneau. NFIB has 350,000 dues-paying members nationwide, including 2,000 in Alaska. Results from the NFIB-member ballots are released after a statistically valid sample is reached. The 2015 ballot asked four questions:
Should business and occupational licensing be done only at the state level?
Yes 75 percent
No 11 percent
Und. 14 percent
Should Alaska replace the current state tax on motor fuel with a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax to fund future highway and road construction and maintenance?
Yes 5 percent
No 85 percent
Und. 10 percent
Should Alaska enact legislation to prohibit employers from subjecting employees to workplace bullying?
Yes 12 percent
No 79 percent
Und. 9 percent
Should government services, such as airport management, emergency call centers and public transportation be turned over to private businesses?
Yes 60 percent
No 29 percent
Und. 11 percent
“Business and occupational licensing should remain a state-level activity only, not a local one, too. Maintaining this single process will be one of our top priorities this year,” said Denny DeWitt, NFIB’s Alaska state director. “It would perfectly complement our victory last session with the passage of House Bill 32, which changed businesses licensing from requiring separate ones for every line of business to just one business license under one business name. Making it easier for businesses to come here and thrive should be Job 1 for every legislator, and streamlining regulations is Step 1.”
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/Alaska
P.O. Box 34761
Juneau, AK 99801
907-723-6667
